Visiting the Dentist and the Old Town in Panama City

One of the places always recommended by International Living for retirement is Panama. Since we were looking for someplace warm and relaxing, we decided to check it out. After our super busy time in Europe and the US, we just wanted to catch up on personal work and chill out.

We also found out that there were a number of our fellow Facebook nomad group members currently in the country. They are great resources for boots on the ground information. We decided to meet up with them and other ex-pats to find out what they recommended that we see and do.

Arrival in Panama

To enter Panama, we needed to fill out a health and vaccination form. Once the form was submitted, they sent us a QR code by email. We did have to show the QR code more than once during the immigration process, but entry was otherwise smooth. While we did take other Uber rides around Panama City, we had prearranged a ride to the hotel. I must say, I do like arriving in a new country and finding someone standing outside the baggage claim with my name on a clipboard.

Because hotels are relatively inexpensive in Panama City, we decided to stay at the Waldorf Astoria. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite as good as we had hoped for but the price and service were reasonable. As we learned our way around town, we realized that we were in a decent location for most of what we wanted to do, including the dentist.

Dental Work in Panama City

After seeing a dentist in Portugal, I knew I had a cracked tooth that needed a crown and maybe a root canal. I could also use a new night guard. From experience, I knew that these things take time.  I was able to get a dental referral from some of the group members in-country and made an appointment for our first day in town.

Whenever I mention medical care abroad, I know many people are hesitant but I knew I had to pay cash for the dental work regardless of where I got it. I figured it would be cheaper in Panama than in the US. Check-in was normal including all of the requisite forms, greatly simplified.

The Dentist

The dentist was awesome. He spoke very good English, was very friendly and knowledgeable. He looked at the tooth and the picture of the X-ray from Portugal and promptly decided to take a new X-ray. The situation hadn’t changed but I picked a dentist that had an endodontist on staff. To determine if I needed a root canal, the endodontist performed a quick but painful test. The verdict – no root canal required, yeah!! On with the crown.

The last time I had a crown done the dentist had to shoot me up with Novocain seven times. After I told the dentist that, he made sure to give me enough numbing stuff the first time. After the bad part (use your imagination), he put on a temporary crown. The stuff tasted bad and when I commented, he told me it was the same stuff I use on my nails. My response: ok, but I don’t put that in my mouth. The result – an excellent temporary crown with the new one due in one week. Getting the permanent crown was very quick but the new night guard did take two tries. Sorry, I don’t have any pictures of the dentist or my crown.

We didn’t plan any activities in Panama City because we didn’t know what the dental work would entail. Since I was good to go until the following week, we decided to book some tours.

Downtown Panama City

Downtown Panama City is very mixed-use. There are new office buildings and residential condos on the same street as single-store retail and old restaurants. Honestly, it was a little strange to look at the disorganized pattern of development. The city runs along a stretch of seawall on the Pacific Ocean. Balboa Avenue, the main thoroughfare along the ocean, is filled with new and old high-rise towers, mostly residential, with beautiful sea views. There is a nice park with lots of covered pavilions for games all along the seawall from downtown to Casco Viejo, the old town.

As you go inland from Balboa Avenue, you have large commercial high-rise towers. The tallest building in Panama City is the former Trump tower, now the JW Marriott hotel. Not only is it the tallest building in Panama, but it is also the tallest building in Mexico and Central America.

Because the development in the city was so spotty, long walks were required to get anywhere. After coming from Barcelona, we were honestly a little disappointed about the distances, but we did walk almost to the old town from our hotel. The other thing you notice right away is the serious traffic issues in the city. The roads in town haven’t grown with the building development and sidewalks seem to be a mere suggestion. The traffic and dicey sidewalks make walking in the city somewhat challenging.

History of Panama City

Today’s modern Panama City is the third incarnation of Panama City. Today’s old town, Casco Viejo (Spanish for Old Quarter) is the historic district of Panama City. Completed and settled in 1673, it was built following the near-total destruction in 1671 of the original city, Panama Viejo, when it was attacked by pirates and burned. Casco Viejo, built on a small peninsula in the Pacific ocean, was designated a World Heritage Site in 1997.

Some of Casco Viejo has been restored but the redevelopment has been hindered by the high cost of renovation. Many of the buildings are facades that are barely standing. While Casco Viejo was fun to explore, the intermittent sidewalks provide many places to get injured. During our walking tour, we learned that Panama hats are not from Panama, they are from Ecuador, but that doesn’t stop them from being sold in nearly every shop around town.

Panama was part of Spain until they decided to join the rough federation of Columbia. They were also part of Columbia when Columbia gained independence from Spain in 1810. Then in 1903, Panama split from Columbia with help from the US (for the canal). But because Panama was part of Columbia for a long time, it is not considered part of Central America. It is also not part of South America, being too far north.

Food

Panamanian food is nothing special. We tried several different local places and the food is simple with not much flavor. We did have pretty good Cuban food a few times. Panama is famous for a brew called Geisha coffee that was originally from Ethiopia. It is really expensive, $10 for a brewed cup, but neither of us liked it. We also tasted Panamanian chocolate from plants grown in the mountains and rum made locally.

Bottom line, don’t come to Panama for the food.

What interests you about Panama?